Bell (singer)
Bell | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Bell Mothander |
| Born | 2000 (age 24–25) Stockholm, Sweden |
| Origin | Hässelby, Sweden |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2021–present |
| Labels | EMI |
Bell Mothander (born 2000), known by her stage name Bell, is a Swedish singer and songwriter. In 2022, her single "Misförstått" reached number-one on the Swedish charts.[1] She was nominated in the category of Newcomer of the Year at the 2023 Grammis.[2]
Early life
[edit]Bell Mothander was born in Stockholm in 2000 and grew up in the suburb of Hässelby.[3] She started writing songs as a child and started with hip-hop at the age of 11.[4] Bell moved to Tingsryd to study music at gymnasium.[5] In 2016, she went viral on Facebook with "Gatuvåld", a song written for young people who have died due to gun violence and street crime.[6] She was subsequently invited to perform the song on Nyhetsmorgon.[7] She spent over a year working on the song and released it on Spotify in 2017.[8] After gymnasium, Bell attended Birkagårdens folkhögskola, a folk high school for one year, studying live music.[6][9]
Career
[edit]In June 2021, Bell signed a recording contract with EMI,[5] and started a TikTok account later that year.[3] Her debut single, "Bättre sent än aldrig", was released in January 2022.[10] Later that year, a clip of her freestyle rapping over "Bonaqua" by Henric Edström became viral on TikTok.[7] As a result, she and producer Jonathan Hellberg went into the studio to finish and record the song, titled "Misförstått", which was subsequently released as a single on 17 June.[3][6][4] The single reached number-one in Sweden and has been certified Platinum by IFPI Sverige.[11] The song also became popular in Norway, resulting in a remix with Norwegian rap group Roc Boyz.[5] She was nominated in the category of Newcomer of the Year at the 2023 Grammis.[2] Her debut EP, BRB...<3, was released on 24 May 2024.[12]
In 2022, Bell classified herself as a pop musician, with influences of emo, hip-hop, indie rock and metal.[5] Her later music has been described as hyperpop.[13] She has looked up to hip-hop musician Daniel Adams-Ray since she was young, and names Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish and Lil Nas X as influences.[3][5]
Personal life
[edit]Bell realised she was bisexual in high school and says her family was accepting so she did not need to come out.[5] In an interview with Kingsize Magazine, Bell described herself as having a strong personality, which led to her being bullied in elementary and high school.[4] Her social media handle @allahatarbell (transl. everyone hates Bell) was an act of reclamation following her experiences being bullied.[4] She has also discussed struggling with anxiety and her mental health.[7][14] In February 2025, Bell was announced as an ambassador for the mental health organisation Mind, in order to inspire people to open up and talk about mental health issues.[15]
Discography
[edit]EPs
[edit]- BRB...<3 (2024)
Singles
[edit]| Single | Year | Peak positions | Certifications | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SWE [11][16] |
NOR [17] | ||||
| "Gatuvåld" | 2017 | — | — | Non-album singles | |
| "Bättre sent än aldrig" | 2022 | — | — | ||
| "Låtsas som att allt är bra" | — | — | |||
| "Är du inte trött på att vara du?" | — | — | |||
| "Missförstått" | 1 | — |
| ||
| "Missförstått" (Roc Boyz remix) (with Roc Boyz) |
— | 16 | |||
| "Missförstått" (remix) (with Rami) |
82 | — | |||
| "Pang! Boom!" | 43 | — | |||
| "Ed Hardy" | — | — | |||
| "Genom eld" | 2023 | 67 | — | ||
| "Som en vän" (with Peg Parnevik) |
77 | — | |||
| "Pollen" (with Papi Santana) |
50 | — | |||
| "Du e någon annans (ou na na na)" | — | — | |||
| "Festen" (remix) (with Irmeli) |
— | — | |||
| "Konny" (with Tjuvjakt and Parham) |
—[a] | — | Tjuvjakt | ||
| "Raging Bull" (with Afasi) |
— | — | TBA | ||
| "Om du skulle gå (du gick)" | 2024 | — | — | BRB...<3 | |
| "TSM <3 (Pantamera!)" | — | — | Non-album single | ||
| "Kramiz<3" (with Elias Hurtig) |
— | — | BRB...<3 | ||
| "Jag mår inte bra </3" | — | — | |||
| "Nathalie" | 2025 | — | — | Non-album singles | |
| "Opp og nikke"[19] (with Broiler and Bargee) |
— | — | |||
Featured singles
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ "Konny" did not enter the Swedish Singles Chart, but peaked at number sixteen on the Swedish Heatseeker chart.[18]
References
[edit]- ^ "BELL toppar listorna med den virala hitten "MISSFÖRSTÅTT" – hör hur den skapades" (in Swedish). Sveriges Radio. 22 June 2022. Retrieved 14 January 2025.
- ^ a b Åström, Amanda (20 April 2023). "Årets nykomlingar tolkar sina Grammisfavoriter". Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). Retrieved 14 January 2025.
- ^ a b c d TT News Agency (4 July 2022). "Bell gör musik när terapi är för dyrt". Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 14 January 2025.
- ^ a b c d Berglund, Louise (4 January 2023). "BELL i stor intervju: "Jag har varit väldigt mobbad"". Elle (in Swedish). Retrieved 14 January 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f Larsson, Ronny (13 August 2022). "BELL är Hässelby-tjejen bakom sommarhiten du inte vill missa". QX (in Swedish). Retrieved 14 January 2025.
- ^ a b c Ablatova, Helen (4 July 2022). "Artisten Bell om hur sommarhiten "Missförstått" blev till". Expressen (in Swedish). Retrieved 14 January 2025.
- ^ a b c Svärd, Stella (15 December 2022). "BELL – tar sig friheten att göra det hon vill". Kingsize Magazine (in Swedish). Retrieved 14 January 2025.
- ^ Samuelson, Fredrik (22 December 2016). "16-åriga Bells låt har setts 232 000 gånger". Expressen (in Swedish). Retrieved 14 January 2025.
- ^ Karlsson, Thea (5 September 2023). "Bell är artist på heltid: "Jag gör något jag älskar varje dag"". Smålandsposten (in Swedish). Retrieved 14 January 2025.
- ^ TT News Agency (11 June 2023). "TikTok-fenomenet BELL klar för Kulturfestivalen!" (Press release) (in Swedish). Stockholms stad. Retrieved 14 January 2025.
- ^ a b c "Search: Bell" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 14 January 2025.
- ^ Universal Music Sweden (24 May 2024). "Stjärnskottet BELL visar helt nya sidor av sig på efterlängtade debut-EPn "brb...<3"" (Press release) (in Swedish). Mynewsdesk. Retrieved 14 January 2025.
- ^ Mårtensson, Anders (26 June 2024). "Nya hyperpopstjärnan till Kulturkvarteret". Kristianstadsbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 14 January 2025.
- ^ Dahlgren, Stina (5 May 2023). "Tiktok-stjärnan Bell: "Mår så fucking jävla dåligt"". Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 14 January 2025.
- ^ "BELL och Mind sprider hoppfullt budskap i mörkret" (in Swedish). Mind. 21 February 2025. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
- ^ "Search: Papi Santana" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 14 January 2025.
- ^ "Roc Boyz" (in Norwegian). VG-lista. Retrieved 14 January 2025.
- ^ "Veckolista Heatseeker, vecka 46, 2023" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 14 January 2025.
- ^ "BROILER SLÄPPER SINGELN "OPP OG NIKKE" TILLSAMMANS MED BELL OCH BARGEE" (Press release) (in Swedish). Universal Music Sweden. Mynewsdesk. 11 April 2025. Retrieved 12 April 2025.
- ^ "Petter teamar upp med ADAAM på första singel från EP-projekt – se/lyssna på "Thug"". Kingsize Magazine (in Swedish). 4 April 2025. Retrieved 12 April 2025.